Winter '13/'14 Banter/Complaint Thread Part 1

[Whitelakeroy]

We had pouring snow January 5, at least here.

I was just thinking the same thing!!

 

'A' so far in my book.

[Powerball]

We had pouring snow January 5, at least here.

 

It was fairly heavy snowfall, but I don't recall the flake size being all that impressive (compared to the cotton balls pouring in that video). 

 

New Years 2008 or February 26th, 2013 is more along the lines of what I'm referring to, but just with a longer duration (like in Philadelphia on 12/8/13).

[Whitelakeroy]

It was fairly heavy snowfall, but I don't recall the flake size being all that impressive (compared to the cotton balls pouring in that video). 

 

New Years 2008 or February 26th, 2013 is more along the lines of what I'm referring to, but just with a longer duration (like in Philadelphia on 12/8/13).

Sorry but I'll take my ~50" so far this season verse their ~20" so far this season!!

 

I will say though it is starting to get quite boring right now.  I love the cold as I do lots of winter sport but having even these little storms keep going south is starting to get OLD quickly.

[snowstormcanuck]

Sorry but I'll take my ~50" so far this season verse their ~20" so far this season!!

 

I will say though it is starting to get quite boring right now.  I love the cold as I do lots of winter sport but having even these little storms keep going south is starting to get OLD quickly.

 

You get used to it

[Jonger]

Anyone remember that scene from "A Christmas Story" where Ralphie dreams that his teacher is grading his paper and puts an "A" followed by an infinite number of plus symbols.

Well, between the EPIC snow I'm witnessing in the UP and biggest storm I have ever had in Howell.... That scene echoes my sentiment. I grade winter on how it affects my hobbies and city... It's rivaled and surpassed many 1970's winters in that regard.

[Powerball]

Sorry but I'll take my ~50" so far this season verse their ~20" so far this season!!

 

I will say though it is starting to get quite boring right now.  I love the cold as I do lots of winter sport but having even these little storms keep going south is starting to get OLD quickly.

 

Completely understood. Different strokes for different folks of course. 

 

I was merely clarifying what I was referring to (and how it applied to my grading criteria) when you and michsnowfreak said it was "pouring snow" on January 5th. 

 

I guess I'm just obsessed with experiencing the extremes when it comes to weather. But obviously given our climo, I will have to continue working on adjusting my expectations. 

[chances14]

kind of hard to give this winter anything less than A so far after experiencing the biggest snowstorm for mby in decades. that along with the epic once a decade type ice storm a couple weeks earlier

[snowstormcanuck]

The trouncing Toronto takes from Detroit in terms of annual snowfall recently is apparent. At first I thought it was just a run of good luck but it is slowly edging towards becoming statistically significant. The sample size is still relatively small (the trend = about the last 9 winters, 10 including this winter which although isn't finished definitely looks like it's going to finish in Detroit's camp).

 

 

Up until 2003-04 seems to be an extension of the normalcy of the 1990s. Then the bottom fell out for us. Might still be a run of good fortune but if it's not and this is the new normal I'd love some kind of meteorological explanation why a place that has less latitude and fewer LES opportunities is routinely getting more snow.

[Trent]

I'm very fortunate for the high ratio long duration New Year's Day storm, but other than that, this month has been nothing special.

 

Take a look at the CLE F6 thus far for January. With an average high above freezing for the first 3 weeks and mostly light dustings, it's hard to believe cold and snowfall records are being shattered not too far to the west for the month.

 

[Jonger]

I'm very fortunate for the high ratio long duration New Year's Day storm, but other than that, this month has been nothing special.

 

Take a look at the CLE F6 thus far for January. With an average high above freezing for the first 3 weeks and mostly light dustings, it's hard to believe cold and snowfall records are being shattered not too far to the west for the month.

 

Do you miss Saginaw winters?

[blizzardof96]

The trouncing Toronto takes from Detroit in terms of annual snowfall recently is apparent. At first I thought it was just a run of good luck but it is slowly edging towards becoming statistically significant. The sample size is still relatively small (the trend = about the last 9 winters, 10 including this winter which although isn't finished definitely looks like it's going to finish in Detroit's camp).

 

tordetcomp.jpg

 

Up until 2003-04 seems to be an extension of the normalcy of the 1990s. Then the bottom fell out for us. Might still be a run of good fortune but if it's not and this is the new normal I'd love some kind of meteorological explanation why a place that has less latitude and fewer LES opportunities is routinely getting more snow.

Just out of curiosity, is this nipher contaminated YYZ data or downtown TO snowfall totals? Could make a big difference if it is the YYZ data.

[snowstormcanuck]

Just out of curiosity, is this nipher contaminated YYZ data or downtown TO snowfall totals? Could make a big difference if it is the YYZ data.

 

It's man measured downtown data.

[Thunder Road]

There's a pretty good chance we're going to get missed on both lake-effect bands, and end up with less snow than ORD, MDW, GYY, and LaPorte this week.

 

I wouldn't be so bitter if it weren't that the surprise 12" snow storm at home was the reason why we missed out on a 1-2 foot LES band today by 20 miles.

[michsnowfreak]

The trouncing Toronto takes from Detroit in terms of annual snowfall recently is apparent. At first I thought it was just a run of good luck but it is slowly edging towards becoming statistically significant. The sample size is still relatively small (the trend = about the last 9 winters, 10 including this winter which although isn't finished definitely looks like it's going to finish in Detroit's camp).

 

tordetcomp.jpg

 

Up until 2003-04 seems to be an extension of the normalcy of the 1990s. Then the bottom fell out for us. Might still be a run of good fortune but if it's not and this is the new normal I'd love some kind of meteorological explanation why a place that has less latitude and fewer LES opportunities is routinely getting more snow.

Its really strange....I can attest that the snowiness this decade is certainly greater than normal...as you can Toronto is less than normal. The question is why? There is no literal snow magnet or snow deflector, but why are snowstorms missing Toronto so frequently?

[Harry]

Completely understood. Different strokes for different folks of course. 

 

I was merely clarifying what I was referring to (and how it applied to my grading criteria) when you and michsnowfreak said it was "pouring snow" on January 5th. 

 

I guess I'm just obsessed with experiencing the extremes when it comes to weather. But obviously given our climo, I will have to continue working on adjusting my expectations. 

 

 

Considering Philly looks to end up with about 15" from this current storm i think it is now safe to complain!   Regardless it is gonna be hard to match the kind of rates they get ( outside of LES ) with them having the Atlantic Ocean so close by. Really takes a special kind of storm to do that ( hours of s+ ) in these parts.

[snowstormcanuck]

Its really strange....I can attest that the snowiness this decade is certainly greater than normal...as you can Toronto is less than normal. The question is why? There is no literal snow magnet or snow deflector, but why are snowstorms missing Toronto so frequently?

 

On top of that, I've noticed over the last several years you get a lot of surprise smaller snowfalls, say in the 1-3". Not much on its own but it can add up. In contrast, I can count on 1 hand how many true surprise snowfalls we've gotten the last 5 years.

[michsnowfreak]

 

On top of that, I've noticed over the last several years you get a lot of surprise smaller snowfalls, say in the 1-3". Not much on its own but it can add up. In contrast, I can count on 1 hand how many true surprise snowfalls we've gotten the last 5 years.

 

Yeah thats true. lol look at last night. It was only 1.5" of fluffy snow but I literally expected NOTHING. We also have a ton of overperfomers, and brand new to this season is that even the last minute model trends often underdo qpf here (they always used to overdo qpf, even in the best of times). I know a lot of people here have disdain for GHD, but if 10" in 36 hours is still 10" of snow. Also...last years slushfest was aggravating to see how much snow was falling and how low the ratios were...but other than that, I can recall very few true busts. Nearly all noteworthy busts have been the good kind. I remember as a teen in the '90s every year you used to count on a few major busts, but not so lately. And I admit my concept of winter has changed too...what I grew up with in the '90s vs now is completely different. From a totally non-statistical standpoint, as a teen, I always thought of winter (and this shows you how the '90s tainted me)....as getting that first taste in November...seeing a few snows in December but far more grassy days than white ones....January was hardcore winter...February was like December, several snowfalls but more grassy days...then one last hurrah of winter in March, usually later than early March.

 

Now....I get mad when mother nature has the nerve to remind me that I dont live in Marquette and shouldnt be seeing solid snowcover from Nov til April. I am used to snowbanks lining every corner now during at least part of winter, being in every nook and cranny of town...in the '90s (outside of 1999), "snowbanks" to me were in parking lots, and that was it.

 

All that said...nothing, good or bad, lasts forever.

[snowstormcanuck]

Yeah thats true. lol look at last night. It was only 1.5" of fluffy snow but I literally expected NOTHING. We also have a ton of overperfomers, and brand new to this season is that even the last minute model trends often underdo qpf here (they always used to overdo qpf, even in the best of times). I know a lot of people here have disdain for GHD, but if 10" in 36 hours is still 10" of snow. Also...last years slushfest was aggravating to see how much snow was falling and how low the ratios were...but other than that, I can recall very few true busts. Nearly all noteworthy busts have been the good kind. I remember as a teen in the '90s every year you used to count on a few major busts, but not so lately. And I admit my concept of winter has changed too...what I grew up with in the '90s vs now is completely different. From a totally non-statistical standpoint, as a teen, I always thought of winter (and this shows you how the '90s tainted me)....as getting that first taste in November...seeing a few snows in December but far more grassy days than white ones....January was hardcore winter...February was like December, several snowfalls but more grassy days...then one last hurrah of winter in March, usually later than early March.

 

Now....I get mad when mother nature has the nerve to remind me that I dont live in Marquette and shouldnt be seeing solid snowcover from Nov til April. I am used to snowbanks lining every corner now during at least part of winter, being in every nook and cranny of town...in the '90s (outside of 1999), "snowbanks" to me were in parking lots, and that was it.

 

All that said...nothing, good or bad, lasts forever.

 

Well, like I said, it's getting to the point where it's harder to dismiss your "good fortune" as just that. There may be a meteorological reason why Detroit is getting more snowy. I've heard in the past there may be a correlation with the long term state of the PDO. Other than that I'm not sure although I'd love to here alternative explanations

 

In any case, I'm not rooting against you. Just wish some of the snow largess would find its way 200 miles to the NE.

[michsnowfreak]

Well, like I said, it's getting to the point where it's harder to dismiss your "good fortune" as just that. There may be a meteorological reason why Detroit is getting more snowy. I've heard in the past there may be a correlation with the long term state of the PDO. Other than that I'm not sure although I'd love to here alternative explanations

 

In any case, I'm not rooting against you. Just wish some of the snow largess would find its way 200 miles to the NE.

I will agree to this. How long does "good fortune" last? Maybe it is just getting snowier here. I just don't know why. One thing I remember from the abortion that was 2011-12...there was not a climatologically WORSE possible pattern for snow here, but we squeezed out snow every chance we had. I mean, you don't think of a 26" winter as a success by any means so its been forgotten, but some of the times it snowed that year, it was like...really? We had 3 straight days in late January where we started the day with an April like snowfall, it melted by noon, then we did the same thing the next morning. THREE days in a row! Then the Feb arctic front dropped 5" when it should have dropped 1-2". And last year...when we werent in a synoptic paradise, we had obscene amounts of lake effect train along the ARB-DTW corridor. Should not get that much lake effect here. So those were how we made out ok in the "down times". I dont need to go into detail what happened during the "good times" from 2007-08 thru 2010-11 and again this winter.

 

Thats why i sometimes get frustrated when area snowlovers on here get so hungup on not getting 18" storms. I know this areas climate since 1874 like the back of my hand..and what has been going on since 2004 has no explanation that I can come up with.

[nwburbschaser]

It sure is going to feel nice when it warms up after these cold temperatures this winter.  It seems like winter started early so I'm already getting to the point of being impatient with the cold.  These nickel and dime snows are okay, but a big storm would be nice. I bought all new components for my mountain bike this weekend and figure that essentially rebuilding that thing will take up some time during this cold spell to end January.  

[Hoosier]

I'm just trying to take it all in.  It may be a while before we (myself and others who are doing really well relative to average) see a winter like this again.  Normally I get tired of winter and am ready for spring by the time we get to March but if we're chasing down records then I will probably be rooting for winter to hang on. 

[nwburbschaser]

I'm just trying to take it all in.  It may be a while before we (myself and others who are doing really well relative to average) see a winter like this again.  Normally I get tired of winter and am ready for spring by the time we get to March but if we're chasing down records then I will probably be rooting for winter to hang on. 

I don't mind chasing down records, but it would be nice if we had a big storm to track while doing it.  I shouldn't complain after the two big storms the Chicago area had earlier this winter, but I'm just somewhat bored with this weather recently. 

[A-L-E-K]

I'm just trying to take it all in.  It may be a while before we (myself and others who are doing really well relative to average) see a winter like this again.  Normally I get tired of winter and am ready for spring by the time we get to March but if we're chasing down records then I will probably be rooting for winter to hang on. 

 

 

yep, i'll be interested as long as the all-time season snow record is in play.

 

but I still can't wait for spring.

[Gilbertfly]

I'm just trying to take it all in.  It may be a while before we (myself and others who are doing really well relative to average) see a winter like this again.  Normally I get tired of winter and am ready for spring by the time we get to March but if we're chasing down records then I will probably be rooting for winter to hang on. 

 

That's where I'm at now as well.  My mind knows that spring is around the corner, which helps....so bring on the record breaking!

[Trent]

It's been an extremely uneventful 3 weeks here with flurries, light dustings, and the occasional 50 degree day, but at least we're not the Niagara Peninsula:

[buckeye]

It's been an extremely uneventful 3 weeks here with flurries, light dustings, and the occasional 50 degree day, but at least we're not the Niagara Peninsula:

 

 

that ohio snowcover is usually inverted in a normal winter.  Usually it's the northeast quadrant with the greatest snowdepth

[michsnowfreak]

I'm just trying to take it all in.  It may be a while before we (myself and others who are doing really well relative to average) see a winter like this again.  Normally I get tired of winter and am ready for spring by the time we get to March but if we're chasing down records then I will probably be rooting for winter to hang on. 

This blurb at the end of DTX forecast discussion says it all:

 

NO LET UP IN SITE TO THE COLD OVER THE NEXT WEEK...AS POLAR VORTEX

DROPS SOUTH OVER JAMES BAY THIS WEEKEND. BASED ON OUR CURRENT

FORECAST...JANUARY 2014 AT DETROIT SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM CLIMBING

INTO TOP 10 COLDEST ON RECORD...AND WILL PROBABLY BE CLOSER TO TOP

5...IN ADDITION TO BECOMING THE SNOWIEST ON RECORD.

[buckeye]

if we were grading on quarters.  1st quarter would get an A.   Second quarter a D   and so far the third quarter is a D with time to improve significantly depending on what the next 6 day clipper parade yields.

 

Obviously I weigh my grades heavily on snow....much less on extreme cold.    Will need an epic turnaround in the last quarter to think about anything above a B+ final.  

[Chicago WX]

I'm just trying to take it all in.  It may be a while before we (myself and others who are doing really well relative to average) see a winter like this again.  Normally I get tired of winter and am ready for spring by the time we get to March but if we're chasing down records then I will probably be rooting for winter to hang on. 

 

Absolutely. Have to soak it up. Specifically for LAF, we're in rare territory here at the moment. We've had some good runs in the past 7 years...but nothing like this winter to date. I hope we can finish it off in grand fashion. Go big or go home.

[dmc76]

http://past.theweathernetwork.com/news/storm_watch_stories3&stormfile=How_are_snowfall_totals_measured__08_02_2013

 

@michigansnowfreak  LMAO